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fully free software utilities for biz use - discussion
40hz:
240hz
This application is a joke IMHO.-fenixproductions (June 22, 2009, 11:26 PM)
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I...umm...think that characterization might be just a little bit over the top. :)
Hiding folders is done by using Windows environment mechanisms: folders are renamed to RECYCLER˙˙ and have attributes set to system and hidden. This way they are not visible in explorer (and cmd.exe) but their content can be easily seen in Total Commander.
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I can't confirm that statement with Total Commander 7.04a
Folders not hidden yields this:
One folder hidden yields this:
I also tried searching all drives with all attributes selected for inclusion (including system and hidden), and TC came up with nothing.
Of course, there's always a chance I did something wrong. So if you're more familiar with TC than I am, maybe you could recheck my findings when you get a chance and post back here if I screwed up?
What is even worse: files are not even encrypted!
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I think you might be guilty of faulting it for missing a feature it never claimed it had. Encryption is not part of FHF's function. Its authors do not make any claims that it does perform encrytion. And if you look at the product's webpage, you won't find mention of file encryption anywhere.
Of course, this application needs password but only for making it possible to uninstall.
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Actually the primary reason for the password is to prevent unauthorized use of the program. It's only requested during an uninstall in order to allow you to unhide your hidden folders prior to removing FHF from your system. If you don't, FHF's uninstall script will also delete any folders that you left hidden.
It's so called "security through obscurity".
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Yes it is. The more common term for that is: stealth.
And while stealth is not as intrinsically secure as encryption, it still has its place in securing information. A stealthed file is moderately secure. An encrypted file is very secure. But an encrypted file that is also stealthed becomes extremely secure.
Note: there's nothing preventing you from parking encrypted files in a folder hidden by FHS. Doing so would give you a much higher level of protection. Many heavyweight crypto apps (like TrueCrypt) provide encryption and stealthing. But they can be a bit much for the average business.
One good use is to hide all your password protected application data folders. We keep all our accounting and payroll data in hidden folders. When we're ready to run our accounting software, we just unhide them as needed. A casual snooper would first have to find them before they could even think about making a copy to take offsite and crack. It's not foolproof. But the combination of stealthing the folders, and password protecting the files within, is much more secure than doing either one alone.
No security system is completely impenetrable. That's why you need to think in terms of layers and synergies.
This would be a nice tool if it could encrypt data but default installation doesn't do that.
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Again, it wouldn't matter how you installed it because it doesn't do file encryption.
I assume that other tools rely on explorer functionality too much and get blinded. Try TC then :)
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I Did. But again, I'm not up on all the ins-and-outs and tricks you can probably do with TC. So if you're a TC Guru, and you get different results than mine, please let me know how you did it? I'm always happy to learn something. :Thmbsup:
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I still think an app like FHF has a place in a business setting. There are a lot of pieces of data that many business owners would prefer not to leave out in the open. And while some would merit full scale encryption, many others would not. A plain textfile with bank account numbers would definitely be worth encrypting. You'd be foolish to create such a textfile, but that still wouldn't make it not worth encrypting.
However: contracts, drafts, bid proposals, and client correspondence very likely wouldn't merit full encryption treatment for most businesses. But that still doesn't mean you'd be comfortable leaving them out in the open in some file directory. For situations like that, FHF would work out very nicely.
My office uses a layered security approach. Things I don't want people messing with go into one of my desk drawers which I can also lock if I need to. It's not very secure. A person with a screwdriver could get in fairly easily. But that's still more secure than leaving something out in the open. For things that do need to be secured, we have an office safe. And for things that really need protecting, we'll either use a bank safety deposit box, or our attorney's escrow service.
I think of FHF as falling into the locked desk drawer layer of security. No joke about it! ;D
fenixproductions:
240hz
I understand that encryption is not always the most important thing but in such case I wonder: how much hidden your data are?
That kind of tools use system workaround to get something out of the sight but in most of the cases it work on current machine and for current user only! We don't really know how good such protection is for other accounts or through network. Relying on hidden OS features does not guarantee that it will not change with next system version or after simple update. Let's assume the worst case scenario: Microsoft decides that hiding "Recycler" folders is serious security risk and fix that in next Tuesday. That way your security model will be thrown away in one go.
I can't confirm that statement with Total Commander 7.04a
I also tried searching all drives with all attributes selected for inclusion (including system and hidden), and TC came up with nothing.
Of course, there's always a chance I did something wrong. So if you're more familiar with TC than I am, maybe you could recheck my findings when you get a chance and post back here if I screwed up?-40hz (June 23, 2009, 03:50 PM)
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Two things:
1. There is no need to search for hidden files just go to:
Configuration -> Display -> File display -> Show hidden/system files (for experts only).
2. As for your search…
I think you did one thing wrong: you've checked all attributes without taking more look.
Attributes checkboxes has three states: not selected (empty), selected (checkmark) and partially selected (black square). I assume that you checked all of them which means to look for resources with ALL specified attributes.
Default:
fully free software utilities for biz use - discussion
TC with option for showing hidden/system files:
fully free software utilities for biz use - discussion
P.S. This tool might work a little bit different after system restart. It might use some driver in "rootkit like" style but I am too afraid to check it ;) I prefer to use it in sandbox.
kartal:
BB FlashBack Express - screen recording
free, but you have to register within 30 days.
-widgewunner (June 20, 2009, 12:06 PM)
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Interesting, does not it qualify for for shareware? I mean you say that it is free but for first 30 days, it does not make sense to me. How come can it be free as long as you need to register it?
40hz:
1. There is no need to search for hidden files just go to:
Configuration -> Display -> File display -> Show hidden/system files (for experts only).
-fenixproductions (June 23, 2009, 04:53 PM)
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w00t!!! fenixproductions is 100% correct.
The above setting and a restart did the trick. The FHF hidden folder is now clearly visible in Total Commander.
So I'll have to temper my suggestion/recommendation with the caveat that folders hidden using Free Hide File are not necessarily hidden from everything that's out there.
Also worth noting is the point that was made about the risk of using undocumented OS features. Definitely worth thinking about before you use FHF on a business machine.
Steven Avery:
Hi Folks,
On our list of fully freeware, so far CCleaner is the only dedicated cleaner of things like temp files. We also have in the category the specialty JavaRa (which is a hybrid cleaner/uninstaller for old Javas). Gizmo, as often, has a fine article, followed by ace comments at :
Best Free File Cleaner
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-file-cleaner.htm?page=3
Clearly CCleaner is the standard, and rightly so. And Gizmo Richards properly mentions a couple of minor weaknesses or concerns. (Aggressive settings in default, too easy to get involved with registry, not cleaning the temp net files of other users.) So I asked on the CCleaner forum about how to prevent registry manipulation by the users, since that is more important in a company environment than at home.
request: option on install or config to disable registry function ?
http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=22629
Note the two responses so far. One is to automate a safe cleanup either on demand or scheduled. The second involves a product, surprisingly suggested by a Piriform moderator, that we can add to the list.
Resource Hacker
http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/
This Resource Hacker software is released as freeware provided that you agree to the following terms and conditions:
1. This software is not to be distributed via any website domain or any other media without the prior written approval of the copyright owner.
2. This software is not to be used in any way to illegally modify software.
http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/
Will we find other uses for "Resource Hacker" ? Maybe our technies know.
Returning to the cleaning tools, you will find that the other major additions to the category don't really offer anything much to CCleaner and have lacks, like in interface, and/or they are a few years old with no development and/or they are not fully freeware. And in one case, KCleaner, the author got involved in toolbar shenanigans that was a bit over the top. The cleaning of other users temp files is one consideration that might lead to an auxiliary tool, or there may be a CCleaner workaround, or it looks like there may be a CCleaner enhancement coming out RSN .. real soon now. Perhaps Advanced System Care or another one of the free suites has a bit to offer in the cleaning area, however CCleaner ends up standing quite strong, with their vibrant forums being a nice plus. With a company, Piriform, that tends to do a few things very well and does not go all over the map.
Microsoft's .pst Outlook backup tool added to the list, just learned about it tonite ! :)
Shalom,
Steven
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